Match Report

SUMMARY:

Playing into a strong wind, Altrincham enjoyed a solid first half before taking the lead just after the interval when Little scored from close range from Thornley's cross from the right (47 mins). Gradually Worksop improved and equalised after 72 minutes when Townsend converted Norton's cross from the left after a slip by Aspinall. The game was marred by a brawl just before the end from which Worksop's Wilson was very lucky to emerge with just a yellow card after clearly kicking a prostrate Alty player. Whilst a point at Worksop is commendable, Altrincham will have been disappointed to have let their lead slip.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr D. Lawrence

Alty arrived at Sandy Lane in 5th place with Worksop one place behind. The Robins were unbeaten in their last five league games. Worksop had been in good form recently under the management of Ronnie Glavin, the former Emley boss. The crowd of 410 was very disappointing.

TEAM NEWS

Chris Adams had recovered from Jamie Phoenix's fierce tackle last Saturday against Stafford and Val Owen had recovered from flu, so both started today. Alty fans were again deprived of their first sight of recent signing Jozzer Mitten in action as he remained sidelined by the suspension he had picked up at his previous club, Ashton United. Marcus Hallows dropped to the bench as Thornley and Little formed the attacking spearhead.

WORKSOP TOWN (Yellow shirts and socks, black shorts) 1. Kris ROGERS, 2. Steve NICHOLSON, 3. Kevin DAVIES, 4. Miles THORPE, 5. Anthony JACKSON, 6. James DUDGEON, 7. Brian O'CALLAGHAN, 8. Paul DEMPSEY. 9. Simeon BAMBROOK, 10. Gary TOWNSEND, 11. Blake NORTON. Subs: 12. Mark WILSON, 14. Chris CLEARY. 15. Dene CROPPER, 16. James MITCHELL, 17. Karl LINIGHAN (gk)

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, white shorts, red socks) : 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Mark MADDOX, 5. Gary TALBOT, 6. Val OWEN, 7. Colin POTTS. 8. Eddie HUSSIN, 9. Colin LITTLE, 10. Rod THORNLEY. 11. Gary SCOTT. Subs: 12. Marcus HALLOWS, 14. Kieran LUGSDEN, 15. Peter WRIGHT, 16. Sean SMITH, 17. George MELLING

REPORT

Worksop kicked off and as Altrincham were playing into the stiff breeze, this suggested that Altrincham had elected the end to defend. Inside the first minute a Maddox foul gave the hosts a free-kick just outside the box to the left of centre. From this Coburn saved from Dempsey (90 secs). Alty then won two free-kicks in quick succession, the first for Dempsey's foul on Scott and the second, just outside the box, for a foul on Potts. From this position, Potts's drive was blocked (8 mins)

The game continued to be punctuated by free-kicks as both sides tried to come to terms with the strong wind. Alty won the game's first corner when Potts and Little combined but, soon, Worksop won one of their own when Bambrook fed Norton and his cross went out of play off Aspinall (16 mins). Play was now fairly even but Worksop almost took the lead when a through-ball evaded Maddox and allowed Bambrook to get free to the left of goal but Coburn made a fine save to parry the Tigers' striker's shot to his left, from where it was cleared (19 mins).

Conditions continued to limit the amount of goalmouth action and clearances from Coburn were, in some cases, stopping in mid-air and coming back towards the Alty goal. But Alty almost went ahead when an accurate pass forward from Aspinall found Thornley. He turned well and, from 20 yards, fired in a shot which only narrowly cleared the angle of post and bar (23 mins).

Owen and Hussin continued to work hard in midfield but it was Worksop who won the next corner. On the half-hour mark, a Little free-kick led to a glancing header, wide, by Hussin. Alty were looking the better side as Worksop passes went astray. But a late tackle by Owen brought the Alty midfielder a deserved booking and took him to within one of a suspension after just 11 starts for the club (37 mins).

Altrincham then spurned their best chance of the game when Potts's measured ball up the middle set Little free against the advancing keeper, Rogers. But Little's shot was not cleanly hit and Rogers was able to save with his legs though Little did conjure a corner from the rebound (40 mins). Alty continued to have marginally the better of proceedings up to half time but suffered a setback when Potts was booked for a trip just before the half-time whistle. As with Owen, this was also a fourth booking for Potts and puts him on the brink of a suspension, too.

As the second half started the wind had dropped so Worksop did not face the same stiff wind which had made life difficult for Alty's defence in the first half. But the visitors got the perfect start to the half when Owen fed Thornley on the right. Thornley's firm, low cross found Little, unmarked, inside the goal area and he converted comfortably from close range to put Altrincham ahead (47 mins). Altrincham now enjoyed a period of dominance and Little went close on the end of a move involving Scott and Thornley. Then a fine ball forward from Talbot threatened to set Thornley free but Jackson made a timely interception. Most of the play had been in the Worksop half for the first ten minutes of the second half as the hosts failed to clear their lines effectively. With the Alty supporters singing behind the goal, Thornley was caught offside but the Alty forward was proving a menace to his markers.

Coburn then saw some action making a good claim from Norton, who looked Worksop's most dangerous outlet. Alty then completely wasted a freekick from 30 yards out on the right when Aspinall drove the ball directly out of play as he misread the intentions of his strikers. This seemed to unsettle the ALty right back as he then made a slip at the back which allowed Norton to win a corner on the left (65 mins). This signalled the start of some Worksop pressure after they had been second best for the second half to date. Coburn soon had to tip over a 25 yarder from Townsend to concede another corner as Alty were now kept on the back foot (68 mins). But Alty replied with an attack which saw a Little shot blocked and the loose ball came to Aspinall whose rasping shot from 20 yards just missed the top corner of the net (69 mins).

The Tigers now made a change with the Canadian, Cleary, replacing Bambrook, who seems not to have recovered the predatory form that he displayed as an Emley player a couple of seasons ago. As the substituion was made there was protracted treatment for Dempsey. Whether the hiatus caused a lapse of concentration is unclear but within seconds of the re-start, Worksop had levelled the scores. Cleary got free inside the centre circle and passed the ball out left for Norton. As Aspinall went to cover he seemed to hesitate between making a challenge and attempting an interception and accomplished neither. This left Norton free on the left and he hammered across a low centre which Townsend converted in similar fashion to Little's goal for Alty (72 mins).

Soon, an underpowered back header from Aspinall caused Coburn to have to be alert and leap in to grab the ball in the outer fringes of his box. But a fine clearance from Maddox found Little free at the other end and he turned well but his shot went just wide of Rogers's left post from 20 yards (75 mins). Almost immediately Worksop's Dudgeon shot over the bar at the other end. Next, Worksop brought on Wilson, another ex-Emley player, for Thorpe (77 mins).

After Worksop had enjoyed the better of the middle period of the second half, the game ended with Alty having most of the territorial possession.When Potts fed Thornley, the Alty man went down in the box and seemed to have a good case for a penalty but play continued (82 mins). Then Alty made a double change with Thornley and Little replaced by Hallows and Lugsden up front (83 mins). Three minutes later Peter Wright made his first appearance since the end of October, replacing Colin Potts on the Alty right flank (86 mins). After a foul on Hallows, Jackson appeared to be booked - though the referee failed to get the player to return to take his punishment and opted to wave his card vaguely towards the Worksop defence from some 20 yards away (85 mins). Alty won a corner after the freekick for the above foul.

Rogers punched away the corner but the ball came back to an area in the centre just outside the Worksop box. The ball appeared to get stuck in the legs of three or four players who all arrived at the same time. This prompted a fracas with punches being thrown and a clear purposeful kick at a prostrate Alty player by Wilson. As eight or none players waded into the rumpus, the referee had the unenviable task of identifying the culprits. After talking to his assistant, he booked Wilson, but amazingly only showed him yellow. He also appeared to book Dempsey and, possibly, Hussin, but it was far from clear who had actually been cautioned (90 mins). Play resumed with an Alty freekick from 20 yards or so which Apsinall drove horribly over the bar and the adjoining rooftops behind the goal (90+3 mins). Until the closing stages Mr Lawrenson had had a decent game but he now seemed to lose concentration and allowed a horrible lunge on Wright to go completely unpunished as Altrincham dominated the closing stages inside the Worksop half. Alty won a very late corner but this was cleared and soon after the final whistle sounded.

Whilst Alty extended their unbeaten run to six - currently the best in the league - and maintained their unbeaten record at Sandy Lane since their relegation for the Conference in 2000, they will have been disappointed not to have held onto their lead today. Apart from about 20 minutes in the middle of the second half, the visitors were the better side.